[GNC] Manual Documentation - Import CSV

[sunfish62 at yahoo.com]

Interesting idea; improving documentation is always welcome, but the devil is in the details...

Item 2 in your suggestions isn't documentation, but requires a change in code. 

As for "split", "multi-split" and GnuCash usage of the same, there has been a long standing ambiguity on their use. There was a discussion some years back concerning this, with some pointing out that the documentation was inconsistent. Sometimes, "split" referred to a single entry in a transaction, while other times, it referred to the presence of more than two entries in a transaction. Similarly, "multi-split" has been used inconsistently, although in general it refers to the presence of more than two entries in a transaction. I believe that in the Guide, we settled on referring to

Note that I used the term "entry" to refer to the lines in a transaction that link an amount to an account. One person in the earlier discussion suggested using "entry" for each line so as to disambiguate the language, and I think they were right in that assessment. 

⁣David T. ​

On Nov 8, 2025, 12:28 PM, at 12:28 PM, flywire <flywire0 at gmail.com> wrote:
>I'd like to raise a documentation issue for discussion.
>
>I didn’t fully understand the import functionality for multi-line
>transactions until Geert Janssens explained it a few years ago. It's a
>neat
>feature that works very well, but the manual section could be clearer,
>particularly for users trying to understand how GnuCash handles CSV
>imports
>with multi-line transactions.
>
>The relevant documentation pages are:
>
>   - CSV Transaction Import:
>https://www.gnucash.org/docs/v5/C/gnucash-manual/trans-import.html#trans-import-csv
>   - Multi-split Transactions:
>https://www.gnucash.org/docs/v5/C/gnucash-manual/trans-multi-enter.html
>
>GnuCash uses the term "Split" for transactions involving more than two
>accounts. "Multi-split" is an unreasonable term for a file with a
>simple
>two-account transaction. "Multi-line" would be a clearer and more
>accurate
>term for users trying to understand CSV imports, equally inclusive of
>simple two-account and split transactions.
>
>Also, it’s not always clear which account the term "Account" refers to
>in
>the documentation or the import dialog, since both the form and the CSV
>file may contain an account field. The only way to tell is by reading
>the
>surrounding text carefully.
>
>To make the documentation clearer, I suggest:
>
>1. Use the term "Import Account" consistently instead of "import or
>base
>   account"
>2. Rename the form field currently labeled "Account" to "Import
>Account"
> 3. Add a "File Fields" label above the CSV file grid to make it easier
>   to refer to those fields
> 4. Update documentation to describe the two supported CSV formats more
>   explicitly:
>      - One line per transaction, imported into a single account as a
>      simple transaction, using either a transfer account field or one
>      automatically assigned by the Import Matcher
>    - Multiple lines per transaction, with each line specifying its own
>      account, imported as either a simple or split transaction
>   5. Use the term/label "Multi-line" instead of "Multi-split"
>
>These tweeks could help users better understand the CSV format,
>particularly the multi-line format.
>
>I’d appreciate any comments.
>
>Regards
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